If you follow wellness channels on social media, you might’ve come across the claim that your grip strength – or how firmly you can squeeze something with your hands – can predict how long you will live.

This sounds far-fetched. Yet the science supports such a connection.

But as wellness influencers try to monetise this link, what started as something based on scientific evidence starts to get stretched. Now some influencers claim just strengthening your grip strength can help you live longer.

And it’s not just social media influencers. Mainstream media often follows some similar patterns, overlooking the complexity and nuance of the science and misrepresenting what it means for individuals.

So many ideas about what makes us sick, or keeps us well, sound plausible. Early studies might sound promising. But then something gets twisted. In this series, we investigate how a grain of truth ends up as a common health myth. And we untangle what went wrong along the way.

What the science says

The evidence consistently shows a person’s grip strength is a good indicator of their overall health and therefore can act as a proxy for how long they might live.

However, grip strength isn’t a driver of longevity. The strength of your hands doesn’t make your healthier. It indicates how robust the body is, from muscle and........

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